eleanor Posted January 3, 2004 Share Posted January 3, 2004 [size=1] This is mostly for my own benefit, but I wanted peoples' opinions on how they get emotionally involved in anime. To be more specific, I'm having trouble creating short storylines [anime-based] where the reader can connect and then bring about strong emotions [such as anger/sadness] in the end when something happens to the main characters. But other than that, I'm also curious as to how some people actually connected to anime characters and really...got emotional when something happenend to them. :)[/size] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JC Goodwin Posted January 3, 2004 Share Posted January 3, 2004 Some times i get so envoloed i sometimes lose track of reality because i become so conneted wit a caracter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Queen Asuka Posted January 3, 2004 Share Posted January 3, 2004 [color=hotpink][size=1]I don't know if it's as effective in a short story, but I know that when I get connected with a character, it's usually that I've had plenty of time to get to know how the character thinks and feels, what they believe in and why, and I truly enjoy all of their endeavors. It is usually then when something happens and it gets to me. [/color][/size] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dagger Posted January 3, 2004 Share Posted January 3, 2004 To quote Orson Scott Card (a renowned science-fiction novelist): [quote]Blood and gore eventually make the audience gag; sobbing and moaning eventually earn the audience's laughter or contempt. On the other hand, if you make us understand how intensely the character loved before losing the loved one or trusted before being betrayed, then his grief will have far greater power, even if you show it with great economy. If you show a character coping with her pain or grief, refusing to succumb to it, then readers will wince or weep for her. Another rule of thumb: If your characters cry, your readers won't have to; if your characters have good reason to cry, and don't, your readers will do the weeping.[/quote] The shorter your storyline is, the fewer characters you can afford to get involved. Attempting to introduce and develop a very large cast in a short period of time will only end up confusing people. This is where it helps to have memorable names and unique character designs--if all the principle players look alike and are called by similar pseudonyms, no one will be able to keep track of who's who. Don't let the plot get overly complicated. Character development is what enables the audience to care for and identify with a particular person. So when you're writing/scripting a tragedy, the climactic tragic event shouldn't have to compete with a bunch of other drastic plot twists. What I've learned from watching anime and reading manga and books is that strong, brave, interesting, unassuming characters get the most sympathy. Nobility is all and well, but most people won't like someone who sacrifices himself simply for the sake of being a martyr. ~Dagger~ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eleanor Posted January 5, 2004 Author Share Posted January 5, 2004 [size=1] [Dagger is cool.] Thank you for your help, I think it'll help me lots. :D. I'm trying to keep the storyline revolving around two people, but I overthink...everything. o_o. P.S.I tried checking out that Voices of a Distant Star thing, but I don't they sell it at any major store...*shrugs* It seemed interesting enough, though, I want to see it now. P.S.S. [Or P.P.S. Whatever.] I love Orson Scott Card! ^_^. Was the quote from his 'How to Write Science Fiction' book? Just a thought that popped into my head. Er. Yeah.[/size] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aoshi Shinomori Posted January 6, 2004 Share Posted January 6, 2004 Hmm...seems as if you're done asking for help...but I'll post my thoughts anyway...if you still want some suggestions...then please read on...if not...I'm sorry I didn't post in time...and...just ignore the rest of my post... My friend at school draws some manga style comics...he's a very talented artist...if I had a scanner...I would have already posted some of his work here...but his latest project was a 30 page manga revolving around three characters...one of which was a caring, compassionate, and honorable teacher and master swordsman whose one and only true love was killed by a group of thieves while he was away from his dojo...he buries her and all the students that were killed by the thieves and disappears...leaving his one student that was still alive after the bandit raid...this student waited for him for years...perfecting the style that his master taught him...but left to become a mercenary once he lost hope that his master would never return...years later...this student finds his master around a field of slaughtered men...his master apparently lost all sanity and judgement on what was right and wrong through the death of the only one he cared about...a final showdown takes place in which the student pushes himself over the edge and kills his master with the very sword that the master gave him...after realizing that he killed the one person he looked up to...out of anguish and turmoil...he committed suicide and stabbed himself with the sword soaked in his master's blood... What really made my emotions stir during the time I was reading was the very illustrations themselves...you can really feel and tell the feelings that the characters were going through based on their facial expressions and the dialogue that takes place...my other thought and hypothesis is that if you place situations that give off a certain emotion in succession...it intesifies that emotion even more...for example...in the story...there were three tragedies in a row...death of the master's true love and what he said while burying her and his fallen students...death of the master...and death of his most obedient student...by the end of the story...so much sadness built up that the climactic finish made you feel sorry for the characters even if you didn't like the characters...although it might be difficult to do the "succession thing" in a short story...anyway...I hope I've helped... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dagger Posted January 7, 2004 Share Posted January 7, 2004 [QUOTE][i]Originally posted by maladjusted [/i][size=1] P.S.I tried checking out that Voices of a Distant Star thing, but I don't they sell it at any major store...*shrugs* It seemed interesting enough, though, I want to see it now.[/size][/quote] I just ordered my copy online (although I think I've seen it at Borders, too). Despite its shortness, Voices of a Distant Star is really quite brilliant, so you should try to see it if you can. [quote][size=1]P.S.S. [Or P.P.S. Whatever.] I love Orson Scott Card! ^_^. Was the quote from his 'How to Write Science Fiction' book? Just a thought that popped into my head. Er. Yeah.[/size][/QUOTE] Actually, the Card quote is from "Characters and Viewpoint." But I own both of those books, so it was a good guess. ^_~ I think it's safe to say that the basic rules of storytelling apply to every medium in which it's possible to tell a story. Reading manga may not be quite the same thing as reading a novel or watching a play, but the criteria for skillful writing and a strong plot are the same in every genre. You clearly possess the artistic abilities necessary to successfully create a short manga, so all you need to worry about is making its plot as compelling as possible. I'm sure that the final product will be fantastic. ^_^ ~Dagger~ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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